Though the first half of Friday’s contest would give Lion fans plenty of reason to cheer, Little Cypress-Mauriceville blanked Livingston in the second half while scoring three touchdowns to win 35-16.
An 11-play march down the field to open the game would eat up nearly seven minutes of clock and end in a Tyler Soza 3-yard option run. Another option was pitched to Trenden Williams, who scampered in for the two-point conversion, putting the Lions on top 8-0.
It took LC-M just five plays and a little over two minutes to respond, as quarterback Braylon Lewis skipped into the end zone from five yards out.
The Bears would go on top in the second quarter, as Lewis again got in from four yards. That play was set up by a long run from Jonah Fuller, who was a thorn in Livingston's side all night. The senior running back had 183 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries. He even caught a pass for 27 yards.
Down by six, the Lions again began to drive. After nine plays, Soza bootlegged to find an open Carson Pipes beyond the goal line for a touchdown. Soza was able to sneak in the two-point conversion to put the Lions on top 16-14.
With just 44 seconds remaining in the half, the Bears put together a quick drive that allowed them to attempt a 38-yard field goal. That kick was wide left, and the Lions had a spring to their step going into the locker room.
“We played physical, we played smart, and we played strong and fast,” Livingston coach Finis Vanover said of the first half. “We were aggressive and got after it on both sides of the ball. We gave up two runs on the inside in the first half when they ran that zone keep. They are good at it. They have a massive offensive line, with three of them at 6-foot-5 or better. They do a great job of blocking that stuff.”
Sweet turned to sour in the third and fourth quarters. Little Cypress-Mauriceville attempted just two passes in the second half. They were able to run the ball for 147 yards in the final two quarters, which resulted in three scores.
Livingston's four possessions after halftime were a punt and three turnovers on downs. They would gain just 112 yards in the final two periods, just two yards more than Fuller's output over the same span.
Livingston held the ball for around 18 of the first half's 24 minutes, limiting the Bears to just 15 plays. The anticipation was that fatigue would set in, but it never seemed to. Many of the Lions play on both sides of the ball, while most of the Bears played either offense or defense.
“They hit a couple of big third-down plays on us in the second half,” Vanover said. “In between those, our defense was just stacking them up. We left two scores down there inside the 10-yard line. Maybe even three if you want to count the one near the 20. We fell back in that same deal where we scored – no we didn't, we held. We are trying like heck and we fought, we just can't get out of our way when it comes to cutting time. We do something that hurts us.”
Penalties have been a constant problem in 2024, and Friday was no different. The Lions were flagged nine times for 80 yards. That is actually a slight improvement from previous games, where personal fouls were an issue.
“The effort on the toughness and playing with speed and intensity paid off. They showed up and did that well. That was a very big concern of all of us. It is all that I talked to them about all week. This was going to be a test of your heart and soul as a young man facing an adverse situation. What are you going to do with it? They rose up and played their hearts out.”
